Welcome to Enchanting Journeys

Off the beaten track in mystical Morocco

Africa. There is nowhere like it on the planet for wildlife, wild lands & rich traditions that endure. How do you capture the essence of Africa on paper without using up every cliche in the book? No other continent comes close to it for scale, variety & pure, raw impact. Flick through the glossy tourist brochures and the cliches come thick & fast & in Morocco - a gateway to Africa & a country of dizzying diversity where you will find epic mountain ranges, ancient cities, sweeping deserts - & warm hospitality. Come….experience the Berber Kingdom with us……

Africa’s natural history alone would make a dozen visits worthwhile - where else on earth can you fall asleep to the sound of lions roaring, or watch a million flamingos take off from the waters of a remote soda lake? Parts of Africa boast scenery so spectacular they will damn near blow your mind, but the essence of this incredible continent isn’t in any desert, mountain or lake. It is the spirit of the people - pushing, shoving, sweating, dancing, singing & laughing - that infects so many visitors with a travel bug so powerful they will never stop coming back, sometimes against all sense or reason.

Whether you are a wide-eyed first-timer or a frequent visitor, Africa cannot fail to get under your skin. The canvas upon which the continent's epic story is written is itself astonishing, & reason enough to visit. From the tropical rainforests & glorious tropical coastline of Central Africa to the rippling dunes of the Namib Desert, from the signature savannah of the Serengeti to jagged mountains, green-tinged highlands and deep-gash canyons that mark the Great Rift Valley's continental traverse - wherever you find yourself on this big, beautiful continent, Africa has few peers when it comes to natural beauty.

On this continent where human beings first came into existence, customs, traditions & ancient rites tie Africans to generations & ancestors past and to the collective memory of myriad people. In many rural areas it can feel as though the modern world might never have happened & they are all the better for it, and old ways of doing things - with a certain grace & civility, hospitality & a community spirit - survive. There are time-honoured ceremonies, music that dates back to the days of Africa's golden empires & masks that tell stories of spirit worlds never lost. Welcome to Old Africa.

Africa’s natural history alone would make a dozen visits worthwhile - where else on earth can you fall asleep to the sound of lions roaring, or watch a million flamingos take off from the waters of a remote soda lake? Parts of Africa boast scenery so spectacular they will damn near blow your mind, but the essence of this incredible continent isn’t in any desert, mountain or lake. It’s the spirit of the people - pushing, shoving, sweating, dancing, singing & laughing - that infects so many visitors with a travel bug so powerful they’ll never stop coming back, sometimes against all sense or reason.

The past retains its hold over the lives of many Africans, but just as many have embraced the future, bringing creativity and sophistication to the continent's cities & urban centres. Sometimes this New Africa is expressed in a creative-conservation search for solutions to the continent's environmental problems, or in an eagerness to break free of the restrictive chains of the past and transform the traveller experience. But just as often, modern Africans are taking all that is new and fusing it onto the best of the old.

Debate with venerable merchants among the cool, narrow streets of an Arabic medina, dance to the thumping reggae beats coming from a West African market stall, or shoot the breeze with fishermen under Indian Ocean palm trees, and you will be struck more than anything else by the honesty, warm-heartedness & vitality of the African people.

And now, let us talk about mesmerizing Morocco - a gateway to Africa & a country of dizzying diversity where you will find epic mountain ranges, ancient cities, sweeping deserts - and warm hospitality.

Mountains & Desert| Ancient Medinas|Traditional Life

For many travellers, Morocco might just be a short hop away by ferry or by one of the myriad budget airlines from Spain, but it is a much further distance to travel culturally. The regular certainties of Europe are suddenly swept away by the arrival in full technicolour of Africa & Islam. It is a complete sensory overload.

Morocco is a storied country, that has, over the centuries, woven its ties to Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe & the wider Middle East into whole cloth. Its mixed Arab & Berber population forms a strong national identity, but an increasingly youthful one, taking the best of its traditions & weaving the pattern anew - from the countryside to the city, from the call to prayer from the mosque to the beat of local hip hop. Morocco has a hundred faces & sounds, all ready to welcome the traveller looking for spice & adventure.

From Saharan dunes to the peaks of the High Atlas, Morocco could have been tailor-made for travellers. Lyrical landscapes carpet this slice of North Africa like the richly coloured & patterned rugs you will lust after in local co-operatives. The mountains - not just the famous High Atlas but also the Rif & suntanned ranges leading to Saharan oases - offer simple, breathtaking pleasures: night skies glistening in the thin air & views over a fluffy cloudbank from the Tizi n’Test pass. On lower ground, there are rugged coastlines, waterfalls & caves in forested hills, & the mighty desert.

Morocco's cities are some of the most exciting on the continent. Join the centuries-old trail of nomads & traders to their ancient hearts, from the winding medina maze of Fez to the carnivalesque street-theatre of the Djemaa el-Fna in Marrakesh. In the rocky deserts medinas are protected by kasbahs, on the coast by thick sea walls. But it is not just a heritage trip, as Morocco's cities are forward-facing too, with glitzy new urban design in Casablanca, Rabat & Tangier looking to the future as well as paying homage to their roots.

Tangier, that faded libertine on the coast, has traditionally been a first port of call, but the winds blow you quickly along the Atlantic coast to the cosmopolitan and movie-star famous Casablanca, and whitewashed fishing port gems of Asalih & Essaouira. Inland, the great imperial cities of Marrakesh & Fez attract visitors in droves as they have done for centuries. The winding streets of their ancient medinas have enough surprises around each corner to fill a dozen repeat trips. Away from the urban beat, you will find Roman ruins & dramatically craggy valleys to distract you.

Enjoying Morocco starts with nothing more strenuous than its national pastime - people-watching in a street cafe with a coffee or a mint tea. Use the opportunity to plan your next moves - hiking up North Africa’s highest peak, learning to roll couscous, camel trekking in the desert, shopping in the souqs or getting lost in the medina. Between the activities, you can sleep in boutique riads, relax on panoramic terraces & grand squares, & mop up delicately flavoured tajines - before sweating it all out in a restorative hammam.

If you really want to escape from everything, Morocco still has a couple of trump cards. The High Atlas Mountains seem custom-made for hiking boots, with endless trails between Berber villages, and North Africa’s highest peak (Jebel Toubkal) to conquer. Or if you prefer someone else to do the walking, simply saddle up your camel and ride it straight into the Sahara, to watch the sun setting over an ocean of sand.

Something special about Africa touches the soul; it is a continent of 54 immensely diverse countries that is both deeply troubled & profoundly uplifting. But don’t believe everything you see on TV, It is a fantastic, enlightening, surprising & intriguing continent

Welcome to Old ‘north’ Africa. Idyllic scenery & great experiences are just the beginning……. Africa - there is nowhere like it on the planet for wildlife, wild lands & rich traditions that endure. Try it once & we guarantee you will dream about coming back for the rest of your life. Take the plunge now & yep….the Berbers await in Morocco & The Journeys is ready to take you on well, a journey (or journeys) of discovery.

Come……be inspired & discover the World with us

We are in the process of updating our Offerings of experiential journeys to Morocco. Please contact us in the interim if you want to explore more options & we will be happy to customise & offer suggestions based on your personal preferences………